Texas Ballot Compare

General election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Nonpartisan voter guide · Texas

County Judge

Race · November 3, 2026 general election

Dallas County
Vote for oneResearched · fact-checked
Mike ImmlerMike ImmlerRepublican
Clay JenkinsClay JenkinsDemocratic Incumbent
On ballot as
Mike Immler
Clay Jenkins
Current role
Attorney; retired U.S. Air Force colonel (per campaign)
Dallas County Judge (since 2011; first elected November 2010)
Background
  • Attorney (per campaign)
  • U.S. Air Force and reserve components, 30 years; retired as colonel (per campaign)
  • Husband, father, grandfather and community volunteer (per campaign)
  • Undergraduate and law degrees, Baylor University (per The Dallas Morning News)
  • Law school graduation 1987; Texas licence date 1988 (per State Bar)
  • Attorney; firm listed as Jenkins & Jenkins PC (per State Bar)
  • Former co-owner, Brown Dental Health Services (per Ballotpedia)
Experience
  • Legal, real estate, strategy and executive roles, Army & Air Force Exchange Service (per campaign)
  • Former Vice President of Military Affairs, First Command Financial Services (per endorsement on campaign site)
  • Republican primary (March 3, 2026): unopposed
  • Seeking a fifth term (per The Dallas Morning News)
  • Chief Elected Official, Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas (undated campaign page)
  • Chair, Enroll North Texas Coalition (undated campaign page)
  • Democratic primary (March 3, 2026): unopposed
Top priorities
  • "Fiscal responsibility, public safety, and economic growth for small businesses"
  • "Seek lawful, independent reviews of high-impact spending"
  • "Publish plain-language budget and contract information"
  • "Reliable Sheriff, jail, and court-support operations"
  • "Better coordination around homelessness and behavioral health"
  • "Make county procurement clearer and more accessible"
  • On the county tax rate, at an Aug. 11, 2026 Commissioners Court meeting: "We've found those savings, so let's only charge what is necessary."
  • On funding county construction with certificates of obligation (KERA, Apr. 13, 2026): it "allows that to be done without raising people's taxes in the short or the long term"
  • On the county's emergency operations hub (KERA, June 11, 2026): "We're going to be focused on the people who live here"
Tidbits
  • Property taxes and budget: Campaign site: "County taxpayers deserve to know where public money goes, what it buys, and whether it produced a measurable result."
  • Growth and infrastructure: Campaign site lists among his priorities: "Connect public safety and infrastructure coordination to local growth"
  • Flooding and drainage: No public statement found
  • Public safety: Campaign site: "A strong county government supports the people, facilities, and partnerships that keep communities safe and services dependable."
Claims and the record
  • Controversies: None found in the news coverage we reviewed
  • Property taxes and budget: On the county tax rate, at an Aug. 11, 2026 Commissioners Court meeting: "We've found those savings, so let's only charge what is necessary."
  • Growth and infrastructure: On funding county construction with certificates of obligation (KERA, Apr. 13, 2026): it "allows that to be done without raising people's taxes in the short or the long term"
  • Flooding and drainage: No public statement found
  • Public safety: On the county's emergency operations hub (KERA, June 11, 2026): "We're going to be focused on the people who live here"
Claims and the record
  • 1983 trespass charge: Charged with criminal trespass in 1983 after he and two friends entered female classmates' apartment; received one year of deferred adjudication. A woman said in the police report that the men wore dark makeup "to make them look like Black people". His campaign said he apologized at the time and "has never darkened his face in an attempt to appear as a member of another race."
  • 2023 mask-mandate court ruling: The Texas Supreme Court on June 30, 2023 dissolved an injunction he had obtained against the governor's 2021 order barring local mask requirements. His lawyer said the opinion is clear that the governor's decisions prevail.
Endorsements
  • Log Cabin Republicans of Dallas (listed by campaign)
  • John Wissler, Lieutenant General, United States Marine Corps (Ret.) (listed by campaign)
  • Mark Steffe, President and CEO, First Command Financial Services, Inc. (listed by campaign)
  • Kellie Richter, Chief Operating Officer, First Command Financial Services, Inc. (listed by campaign)
  • Paul W. "Bill" Essex, Major General, United States Air Force (Ret.) (listed by campaign)
  • John G. Meyer Jr., Major General, United States Army (Ret.) (listed by campaign)
  • The Dallas Morning News Editorial Board
Campaign website
mikeimmler.com
jenkinsfordallascounty.com
Mike Immler

Mike Immler

Republican
On ballot as
Mike Immler
Current role
Attorney; retired U.S. Air Force colonel (per campaign)
Background
  • Attorney (per campaign)
  • U.S. Air Force and reserve components, 30 years; retired as colonel (per campaign)
  • Husband, father, grandfather and community volunteer (per campaign)
Experience
  • Legal, real estate, strategy and executive roles, Army & Air Force Exchange Service (per campaign)
  • Former Vice President of Military Affairs, First Command Financial Services (per endorsement on campaign site)
  • Republican primary (March 3, 2026): unopposed
Top priorities
  • "Fiscal responsibility, public safety, and economic growth for small businesses"
  • "Seek lawful, independent reviews of high-impact spending"
  • "Publish plain-language budget and contract information"
  • "Reliable Sheriff, jail, and court-support operations"
  • "Better coordination around homelessness and behavioral health"
  • "Make county procurement clearer and more accessible"
Tidbits
  • Property taxes and budget: Campaign site: "County taxpayers deserve to know where public money goes, what it buys, and whether it produced a measurable result."
  • Growth and infrastructure: Campaign site lists among his priorities: "Connect public safety and infrastructure coordination to local growth"
  • Flooding and drainage: No public statement found
  • Public safety: Campaign site: "A strong county government supports the people, facilities, and partnerships that keep communities safe and services dependable."
Claims and the record
  • Controversies: None found in the news coverage we reviewed
Endorsements
  • Log Cabin Republicans of Dallas (listed by campaign)
  • John Wissler, Lieutenant General, United States Marine Corps (Ret.) (listed by campaign)
  • Mark Steffe, President and CEO, First Command Financial Services, Inc. (listed by campaign)
  • Kellie Richter, Chief Operating Officer, First Command Financial Services, Inc. (listed by campaign)
  • Paul W. "Bill" Essex, Major General, United States Air Force (Ret.) (listed by campaign)
  • John G. Meyer Jr., Major General, United States Army (Ret.) (listed by campaign)
Campaign website
mikeimmler.com
Clay Jenkins

Clay Jenkins

Democratic Incumbent
On ballot as
Clay Jenkins
Current role
Dallas County Judge (since 2011; first elected November 2010)
Background
  • Undergraduate and law degrees, Baylor University (per The Dallas Morning News)
  • Law school graduation 1987; Texas licence date 1988 (per State Bar)
  • Attorney; firm listed as Jenkins & Jenkins PC (per State Bar)
  • Former co-owner, Brown Dental Health Services (per Ballotpedia)
Experience
  • Seeking a fifth term (per The Dallas Morning News)
  • Chief Elected Official, Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas (undated campaign page)
  • Chair, Enroll North Texas Coalition (undated campaign page)
  • Democratic primary (March 3, 2026): unopposed
Top priorities
  • On the county tax rate, at an Aug. 11, 2026 Commissioners Court meeting: "We've found those savings, so let's only charge what is necessary."
  • On funding county construction with certificates of obligation (KERA, Apr. 13, 2026): it "allows that to be done without raising people's taxes in the short or the long term"
  • On the county's emergency operations hub (KERA, June 11, 2026): "We're going to be focused on the people who live here"
Tidbits
  • Property taxes and budget: On the county tax rate, at an Aug. 11, 2026 Commissioners Court meeting: "We've found those savings, so let's only charge what is necessary."
  • Growth and infrastructure: On funding county construction with certificates of obligation (KERA, Apr. 13, 2026): it "allows that to be done without raising people's taxes in the short or the long term"
  • Flooding and drainage: No public statement found
  • Public safety: On the county's emergency operations hub (KERA, June 11, 2026): "We're going to be focused on the people who live here"
Claims and the record
  • 1983 trespass charge: Charged with criminal trespass in 1983 after he and two friends entered female classmates' apartment; received one year of deferred adjudication. A woman said in the police report that the men wore dark makeup "to make them look like Black people". His campaign said he apologized at the time and "has never darkened his face in an attempt to appear as a member of another race."
  • 2023 mask-mandate court ruling: The Texas Supreme Court on June 30, 2023 dissolved an injunction he had obtained against the governor's 2021 order barring local mask requirements. His lawyer said the opinion is clear that the governor's decisions prevail.
Endorsements
  • The Dallas Morning News Editorial Board

Open in the full comparison: Dallas County

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